Alexander Zverev has finally conquered the US Open.
Six years after watching a two-set lead disappear in the 2020 final, the German returned to Flushing Meadows and finished the job, defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to lift his first US Open trophy.
The victory gives Zverev his second Grand Slam title of 2026, following his breakthrough French Open triumph earlier this year. He becomes only the fourth man in the Open Era to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season, joining Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and Jannik Sinner.
The memory of Zverev's first US Open final had lingered for years.
In 2020, he led Dominic Thiem by two sets before the Austrian fought back to win the title in a fifth-set tiebreak. It was the first of several painful Grand Slam near-misses for Zverev.
Six years later, he found himself in another US Open final — but this time, there was no collapse.
Zverev controlled the opening two sets against Shelton and looked firmly on course for the championship. The American, playing in his first Grand Slam final, fought back to take the third set 7-5 and briefly gave the home crowd hope of another comeback.
Zverev, however, responded immediately.
He broke Shelton early in the fourth set and never surrendered his advantage, eventually closing out the championship 6-2.
The atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was heavily tilted towards Shelton.
The 23-year-old American was attempting to become the first American man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003. He was also bidding to become the first Black American man to win the tournament since Arthur Ashe.
Instead, Zverev stood firm against the partisan crowd.
After the match, he acknowledged the overwhelming support for his opponent.
“I know that today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win so I'm very sorry,” Zverev said.
He also praised the New York crowd for remaining fair despite backing Shelton throughout the contest.
The US Open victory caps what has become the best Grand Slam season of Zverev's career.
The German won his maiden major at Roland Garros in June, then reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Jannik Sinner. He has now followed that run by winning his second Grand Slam title of the year in New York.
His US Open campaign was hardly straightforward.
Zverev needed five sets to get past Lorenzo Sonego in the opening round and then survived another five-set battle against Quentin Halys. From there, however, he moved through the draw without dropping another set before the final.
For Shelton, the defeat ended an extraordinary breakthrough at his home Grand Slam.
The eighth seed reached his first major final after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal and Frances Tiafoein the semifinals. His run also made him the first Black American man to reach a US Open men's singles final since Arthur Ashe.
Shelton did manage to turn the momentum around in the third set, but Zverev immediately regained control in the fourth.
After the match, Shelton paid tribute to his opponent.
“You're one of the very best players in the world - maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev.
The result also extended Zverev's unbeaten record against Shelton. He now leads their head-to-head 6-0.
There was also an almost surreal moment at the finish.
When Shelton's final return sailed long, Zverev initially did not realise that the match was over. He began walking back towards the baseline before the umpire's announcement and the reaction from the crowd made him realise he had won. He then turned around, smiled and headed to the net to embrace Shelton.
For a player who had spent six years carrying the memory of a lost US Open final, the moment could hardly have been more fitting.
“I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before,” Zverev said during the trophy presentation.
The US Open trophy that slipped away in 2020 is finally his.
Sources: Times of India; Reuters, U.S. Open, The Guardian
